Aloha Installer

[Shadow9574]

Hi, i have experience with Aloha, i was not at my job the day they installed the system but i have a question. They let there install desk at my site and i took it home and installed it. I have the BOH on one computer and the terminal on my laptop. They both run fine except im having a big problem. It seems like the terminal is using files from its own computer, not grabbing it from the BOH, so when i refresh the system with new changes it doesnt shut down the FOH. It boots IBER fine and then menu is fine. The workgroup is Aloha, and my server is called ALOHABOH, the laptop (terminal) is called TERM1. I have it set up liek that in the BOH and the printers chosesen and such. Im proably forgetting some file editing some were but like i said, i wasnt there on install day. Please suggest some ideas on what i need to check.

***My thought is, since i dont have a "Hardware key" its not letting me go "live" by refreshing. If so, im prob gonna get into trouble for asking but is there a way around it....***



thanks for your time.

 

[AkamaiAloha]

Aloha, as solid as I think it is, is one of the pickiest applications I've ever worked with. There are knowledge base documents that tell you how to set it up in demo mode, and even those don't work right half the time, without a lot of tweaking.

That being said, trying to run it the way it's meant to run, but without a security key, will be practically impossible. Especially to have it set with a BOH and Terminal running across the network. If you're trying to use the software without purchasing a license, tell me how, if you figure it out But I hope you have a lot of time on your hands!

All kidding aside, if you're just trying to play around with the functions, your best bet is installing it into demo mode (and like I said, even this is a pain). So much so, that I don't think Ibertech or Aloha ever really cared if end users can do it or not. But I have done this in instances where I wanted to make changes to a customers menu offsite, or to check something on a particular database. But I will let you know in advance, there are limitations in the demo mode (as well as redundant mode) that will keep you from being able to use the software to actually run in a live enviroment.

 

[Shadow9574]

Ya, i think all that stand in my way right now is te HASP key. I have the terminal on my laptop, which boots fine, log in and everything, and the boh which i can edit information. Its just that i dont think there talkking when it comes time to syc the files.

 

[DTSMAN]

Aloha will not grind without a key, which means you can never see any reports. But you can make it work if you select demo mode when installing, and then creating a batch file that writes all the environment varibles when launched.

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[Shadow9574]

Ok, i seem to understand for the most part, is there any reason that you can think of beside the fact of i might have set it up wrong. Its just when i hit refresh it wont shut down the FOH tp update all of the information. Is this happening because of not having a key, does this involve some type of grinding. Also is there a way to extract info from a hardware key, the only reason i persist on this key issue is because im wanting to update all my work off line and be able to test it using a foh and boh from my own home. If you dont need a key to be able to update the information via both terminals then maybe im doing somthing wrong. Although, gringind is important for running EOD and such so it will render useless unless i figure a way around it.

 

[DTSMAN]

I have no idea if this will work or not. I have had my eye on it but haven't used the services yet. If you do, please post back.

http://dongleduplicate.nsys.by:8101/index.html

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[Shadow9574]

Ya im looking for somthign not that costy, this is just a project im doing for myself to make it easiser for the boss. I saw one of there choices though and it was about serial port emulation. Not to sure about that cause i couldnt find much info on it. If any oen has any input on somthing that they have done like this with maybe another app, let me know.

 

[AkamaiAloha]

I think the problem is more or less that you're trying to get it to update the terminal. The demo mode thing is really designed to be used with front of house and back of house on the same computer. In which case, it does work--with a few error messages. But it will update your changes so that when you launch iber on that same computer, you'll see them. We do this sometimes when we're programming menus on laptops, and you want to verify that things are working as they should be.

 

[Shadow9574]

Ya its weird though, i installed it like it should be (or so i thought) and i get an error message when launching iber.exe.*failed to register station name, error 0x23* I made another post about this and I was told those would help...

"To open the Windows Registry Editor, select Start/Run, type REGEDIT, and click OK.
Path out HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters.
Verify the DisableDHCPMediaSense value exists in the folder. If it does, double-click it and change Value Data to '1'. If it does not exist, choose Edit/New/DWORD Value and name the key' DisableDHCPMediaSense'. Then double-click the entry and change Value Data to '1'.
Select Registry/Exit to exit the Windows Registry Editor.
Restart Windows."


This didnt work for me and im trying to think of another way to do it. Mayve you have some adivice>

 

[AkamaiAloha]

Adamn (the guy who posted that) knows his stuff, but I didn't think that would help. From what I remember, failing to disabling the media sense causes intermittment network problems, more than just producing a single, solitary error.

I've seen a few cases where you get this error...

1) Does the computer you are launching it on have 2 network cards on it? Aloha doesn't like that. Disable the wireless one (I am assuming that's the case).

2) The other thing to do is plug the wired network card--the one you will want aloha to use--into a hub. I have seen this half a dozen times, to the point where when we demo'd at some's location on a laptop, I brought a hub along that served no other purpose than to keep aloha from doing this.

3) If you're using TCP IP, make sure that it's not using DHCP. Assign an address like 192.168.1.1, even if you have no intention of using it. It has to do with how Aloha wants to send out a broadcast signal (yes, even in demo mode).

4) The only other time I have seen this error is when two copies of iber were being launched. In other words, one copy has "control" of the network card, and when the other one tries to launch it freaks out.

I am confident that if you check all of the above, you'll get past this issue. Then you can move on to it's other issues

 

[Shadow9574]

Ok, im gonna give it a try, i deleted Aolha and im re installign with the disc. Out of curipsity. When installing i can iehter, install Demo version or "Run FOH and BOH on same Comp*, i assume i choose demo

 

[AkamaiAloha]

yeah, thats what i usually do. I am not sure if I always do the run foh and boh on same pc though (i know i have done it before). but i think all once you check demo, it gets a little more forgiving in terms of how all that's set up. the main thing is too address the technical stuff i mentioned before. definitely chose demo--for sure.

i thought i was going to have to install it myself, but my pc already had it on there. too bad, because it would have been fresh in my head.

 

[Shadow9574]

Well, i guve up for tonight, its somthign to do with my internet in general. Using a wireless router and a wired sucks ass. It screws everything up. I hooked it to my hub like u said and i still got the message. I do have 2 network cards in the computer, but there both for wired, one isnt wirelss. If you think that that could deff be it or a strong reasonill take it out tomorrow. Aside from that though, its harder to install the demo for me than it was the actual program. I had it all set up on my network, iber on laptop BOH on my Towr, only thing that didnt work was updating info, i Quit that cause i assuemed it was the hardware key i needed.


I thank you for all the help and i encourage any one else to just leave a comment if were going in the right direction on this. Thanks for your time ill go at it again tomorrow after work.


Im gonna use a HASP program at the reasturant tomorrow and find out pricing for a hardware key afte i extract the info. I hope that doesnt go wrong :0....

-Thanks again

 

[AkamaiAloha]

It is ridiculously hard to set up at times. There are just certain elements that Aloha should have disabled for the demo version, that would have made configuration a lot easier. I remember I used to dread when our sales guy would come in and say "Hey, this potential customer wants you to walk him through setting up a demo on his computer". At least 80% of the time, it would go exactly like this was going for you.

Yes, my point wasn't so much that one of the cards was wireless, but that there were two. For instance, we once installed a Aloha system that ran on external wireless cards. The terminals also had standard network cards, and it wasn't until I disabled them in the BIOS that I could get Aloha to work properly. So you need to disable one in Windows. Try disabling one--if you still get the error message, turn that one back on, and disable the the other. Don't forget to have the cable plugged into a hub.

 

[DTSMAN]

AkaimaAloha is correct, demo mode is made to run both foh and boh on the same machine. The terminals connect to ctlsvr and that doesn't run without a key. For instance, I put a customer in redundancy over the weekend, something was wrong and the terminals couldn't connect to ctlsvr but edc processed over dsl without going into spooldown because the network was all still working. I don't know if Shadow realizes it or not, even if his intentions are good, he is still blocked by securities that protect the software.


This is the batch file I use to launch the Manager that I do all my progamming in before I dump the data into a customers computer.

SET TERMSTR=Your computer name
SET NUMTERMS=2
SET SERVER=Your computer name1
SET IBERROOT=ALOHA53TS
SET IBERDIR=c:\%IBERROOT%
SET ROBUST=TRUE

NET STOP CTLSVR.EXE

%IBERDIR%\BIN\ALOHAMGR.EXE /UNREGSERVERQUIET
%IBERDIR%\BIN\ALOHASEC.EXE /UNREGSERVERQUIET
%IBERDIR%\BIN\CTLSVR.EXE /UNREGSERVER /S
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\ALOHALAB.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\AMGRPS.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\AMGRSHIM.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\ASECPS.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\CTL4X.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\CTLSVRPS.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\EDTPUNCH.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\MNT4X.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /U /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\USERTOOL.DLL

%IBERDIR%\BIN\ALOHAMGR.EXE /REGSERVERQUIET
%IBERDIR%\BIN\ALOHASEC.EXE /REGSERVERQUIET
%IBERDIR%\BIN\CTLSVR.EXE /REGSERVER /NONET /S
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\ALOHALAB.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\AMGRPS.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\AMGRSHIM.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\ASECPS.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\CTL4X.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\CTLSVRPS.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\EDTPUNCH.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\MNT4X.DLL
C:\windows\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE /S %IBERDIR%\BIN\USERTOOL.DLL

%IBERDIR%\BIN\ALOHAMGR.EXE /remote /bpjw



Here is the batch file to run iber.


SET TERMSTR=Your computer name
SET NUMTERMS=2
SET SERVER=Your computer name1
SET IBERROOT=ALOHA53ts
SET ROBUST=TRUE
SET MASTERCAPABLE=TRUE
SET SERVERCAPABLE=TRUE
SET LOCALDIR=c:\%IBERROOT%
SET TERM=1
IF EXIST %LOCALDIR%\TMP\EXITING DEL %LOCALDIR%\TMP\exiting
%LOCALDIR%\BIN\IBER.EXE



Make sure you have a downtime.ini and you know how to change the dates in newdata and data to avoid eod issues.

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[Shadow9574]

I have gotten past the fact that i cant use Aloha to its full use because i dont have a hardware key...yet. BUT i am just trying to run demo mode on my computer which wont run Iber with out that error

 

[DTSMAN]

put a number 1 at the end of your computer name and use the batch files I posted. Trmstr will be your computer name less the number 1.

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[awbbar]

Here is how they did my friends laptop/office pc.

They ended up not using it to make updates/changes.
They realised it was easier/safer to do it in house.
They did the same thing on another computer in the office
and use it for some BOH training.
Now there are several people able to make changes.


Make sure you have an ipaddress
Put a 1 in front of your computer
install Aloha and choose:-

Table or Quick Service
foh/boh on same computer
edc/ctrlsvr
demo mode (this will install demo iber.exe)
Number of Terminals
Reboot

Replace newdata/bmp from store with newdata/bmp on pc.
Delete .log files
Load backoffice and refresh.
you should be able to run foh
When you do a refresh you have to restart foh

Before loading newdata in store backup newdata folder
Donot delete anything in database
change system date in store setting
goodluck

 

[Shadow9574]

I give up, this is really pissing me off, i have done what all of you said, everything is installed perfect, Iber STILL gives me that error. I tried 2 diff hubs, and direct connecting the modem to the hub it self. Im sure it somthing to do with my comp it self.

 

[AkamaiAloha]

Sorry Shadow. I know where you're coming from, it really can be that bad. And I agree, it's very hardware specific, or so it seems. You can have the knowledge base document right in your hand, and still not be able to get it work.

And I doubt Radiant cares much, at this point. They can sell on their reputation now, so why should they invest a bunch of time and resources into a smoothly working demo?